Mobile Handset Vendors Develop Next Gen Memory Interface Standard

A group of leading mobile handset vendors have formed a new working group committed to creating an open standard for next-generation memory interface technology targeting mobile devices.


The proposed standard for dynamic random access memory (DRAM), named Serial Port Memory Technology (SPMT), aims to enable extended battery life, bandwidth flexibility, significantly reduced pin count, lower power demand and multiple ports by using a serial interface instead of the parallel interface commonly used in today's memory devices. The technology would significantly extend battery life while allowing high-performance media-rich applications on next-generation mobile phones.


Companies backing the new working group include ARM, Hynix Semiconductor, Inc., LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Silicon Image, Inc., Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, and STMicroelectronics.


The SPMT Working Group said its goal is to define a technology that reduces pin count by a minimum of 40 percent, provides a bandwidth range from 3.2GB/s to 12.6GB/s and higher, reduces input/output power by 50 percent or more to extend battery life, and provides the ability to use either a single port or multiple ports into a single SPMT-enabled memory chip. While initially targeted at the mobile handset market, the technology will also be in demand by other markets such as portable media players, digital still cameras and handheld gaming devices.http://www.spmt.com